All the Deadly Lies Page 16

  “Joe, it’s a family heirloom. For the worth of Shanna’s ring alone, I’d think you’d want to keep it or sell it at a jeweler’s.” Jake kept using Shanna’s name to work Joe, to pull on his guilt.

  “Her grandmother gave it to her. Anna couldn’t bear to have it around. It would be a constant reminder of our loss.” Tears ran down Joe’s face. Jake waited while Joe pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and swiped at his nose and eyes.

  “Why, Joe?” Jake pushed.

  “Because Shanna always wore it,” he said, grief dripping off him.

  “Joe, I’m going to ask you again. Where’d you get Shanna’s ring?”

  Joe didn’t reply but continued to swipe at his tears. Jake didn’t say a word. He struggled with his part in causing Joe’s pain.

  Jake sent Louie out to ask Jessie if he had any whiskey in the shop. Louie came back with his bottle of Jack Daniel’s and poured Joe a drink.

  “Here, take this,” Louie said.

  “Thanks.” Joe chugged it down like medicine. When the liquor hit the back of his throat Joe started choking.

  “You need to talk to us. You’re not protecting her this way,” Jake said.

  “You don’t understand.”

  “I do. I know this is hard, but it has to be done.”

  “No, you don’t understand. Shanna’s death—it killed our family. My wife has lost over twenty pounds. She doesn’t participate in our lives. She’s nags Chloe throughout the day to see where she is. I found a counselor for us, but she refuses to go. I don’t know how long I can go on like this. I know this is going to sound horrible but…I…we need to move forward,” Wagner said.

  “When my sister was killed, my mother never got over it. My father, he tried to help her, but he couldn’t. It ate away at him after a while. The stress killed him. My mother’s in a home right now. She’s not crazy. She either doesn’t care, or just can’t move forward. You can’t make this right by trying to protect Chloe.” Jake stared into Joe’s watery eyes.

  “Chloe’s all I have left.”

  “Joe, you knew, or you suspected, Chloe might be involved in Shanna’s death. You didn’t want to face it. Finding the ring made you realize Chloe might be a big factor in how Shanna died. You’re trying to protect her. It’s the reason you’re here today, trying to sell it. You know if Anna saw the ring, and found out where you got it, she’d make the connection to Chloe too.” Jake kept using Anna and Shanna’s names. Press harder.

  “Are you going to leave us with nothing? I lost one daughter forever, now you want to take the other one away. I don’t understand how you do what you do.”

  “Don’t you believe Shanna deserves justice? Don’t you deserve closure? Someone ended her life, when she should’ve been starting to make her own way in the world. She was excited about her future. She was smart, kind, beautiful, and focused on what she wanted. The killer needs to pay for the crime he or she committed against her. Every crime’s cruel, but this one demonstrated an extreme brutality. He raped her, then beat her, then he dumped her naked in a field for the animals to find. He left her with nothing.” Jake watched his words land like fists in Joe’s face.

  “I understand that. We love our daughters, both of them, Lieutenant. We didn’t create the monster capable of this horrendous crime. I won’t, no I can’t, accept it was Chloe. Chloe’s had some problems dealing with things since Shanna died, but she loved her sister. You can’t judge her for her lack of common sense, Lieutenant.” Louie poured Joe another drink.

  “I’m not judging her, Mr. Wagner. Envy’s a terrible thing, it can lead to actions in the heat of the moment that we can’t take back,” Jake said. “We need you to come with us to the station to make a statement. We’ve confiscated the ring as evidence. Here’s your receipt for it. We’re not questioning Chloe solely based on you hocking the ring. We’ve been reviewing the case, going over statements. Joe…the evidence is pointing to her. The ring only adds to our suspicions.”

  “I don’t believe you. What kind of evidence?”

  “We can’t tell you that at this time.”

  “Do I leave my car here?” Joe asked, looking around the office for the first time.

  “Yes. When we’re finished, we’ll give you a ride back.”

  “Should I call my wife?”

  “No. Do you know where Chloe is today?” Jake asked.

  “She should be at work. She knows I have the ring.”

  “How does she know?” Louie asked.

  “I confronted her with it. She denied it, but I saw something in her eyes that hurt me.” Joe wiped his nose on his sleeve. “No matter what you tell me, I’ll never believe she killed her sister.”

  Chapter 15

  “Jake, you got a few minutes?” Burke asked.

  “Sure, come in.” Jake said as he looked up.

  Al took a seat. Kraus took up a position by the door. “We wanted to catch you up on the interviews and play back my meet with my snitch. My gut says we have to act fast.” Al turned to Kraus. Gunner nodded his agreement.

  “Play it,” Jake said.

  “This is in the diner.”

  Jake listened as Burke set up the scene along with his commentary on Sniff Lee. Al described Sniff’s fondness for cocaine. When he started in on how his nose dripped like a faucet Jake cut him off.

  “Al, play the tape. You can give me Sniff’s full description afterwards.”

  Nodding, Al hit the play button.

  Sniff: Hey man, you know when you talk with Spike you can’t use my name. He’ll kill me dead.

  Burke: If he’s that bad, why are you talking with me, Sniff?

  Sniff: Well, you know the kid who got killed…it ain’t right. I saw him every day at the store. He treated me real nice. With respect even. No one else ever did.

  Burke: Come on, Sniff, you want me to believe you’re a humanitarian all of a sudden? What gives?

  Sniff: Man, Spike’s out of control! You know he cut one of his whore’s faces the other day because she refused to go out on account of being sick? When I got my medicine, it was weak. Then the bastard charged me double! It ain’t right, you know. I pay his price, and I don’t give him no trouble. Why’d he do that?

  Burke: Times are tough, Sniff. Everyone’s got to make a living.

  Sniff: Yeah, I hear ya, still…

  Burke: No one’s around, Sniff, finish up your story. Give me facts, not bullshit.

  Sniff: This ain’t no bullshit, man. One of his customers lives in the building, or he did. He took off after the shooting. No one’s seen him since. His name’s Leroy Kale. You know Leroy—big dude. He hangs out at Berkley and Wiggins. Leroy’s a badass. He’s always harassing the girls going in and out of the building. Well anyway, I heard he bought some black tar. Leroy starts spitting some junk about how bad the stuff is. He set it up to pay Spike on Thursday, when he got paid. Gives him his address, with the wrong apartment number—I bet he did it on purpose. He gives the kid’s apartment number for when Spike comes around to collect. Leroy’s nowhere to be found. Then Spike comes back at night, and starts shooting through the door, don’t even wait till the kid opens it.

  Burke: You got any witnesses?

  Sniff: Ain’t nobody gonna talk against Spike, you know—they value their lives.

  Burke: This isn’t going to do me any good without witnesses, Sniff.

  Sniff: Hey, man, where you going? I give you a lead! What, you don’t wanna follow it?

  Burke: It’s not enough, Sniff. I need more. Did anyone on the floor see the shooter in the hallway?

  Burke hit the stop button. “LT, Elmore Wilson, otherwise known to us as Sniff, holds back sometimes, like he was a big deal businessman. I had to entice him with my billfold.”

  Jake nodded, Burke hit the play button. Sniff: Man, I’m telling ya—I ain’t got no more. Spike wouldn’t
just kill me, man. He’d cut me up first. I’m taking a chance being here now. Why don’t ya give me some for the information I already gave you?

  Burke: Come on, Sniff. You know it don’t work like that. You gave me nothing. Everyone’s saying the same thing about Spike, no one’s giving details. It’s all in the details. When you have them, call me. We’ll negotiate then.

  Sniff: Hey man, come back. If I be dead, it be your fault, you know?

  Burke: You’re not going to be dead. Who saw it, Sniff?

  Sniff: The lady in 3D, the one with the three kids—she won’t talk, ’cause she knows Spike would kill the kids.

  Burke: How do you know this?

  Sniff: I know. I hear things. She’s scared he gonna kill her anyway. She don’t change her mind. You go visit her, you’ll see. She all beat up and afraid to come out of her apartment. She’s keeping the kids in, stopped talking to everyone. I heard he raped her. It’s the word on the street. Some said he told her after he killed her kids she’d be passed around to his friends and his clients. She ain’t gonna talk.

  Jake pressed the off button and thought for a few moments. “We’ll need to set up a safe house for Darcy and her kids right away. You know this guy Leroy?”

  “Oh yeah, and badass is a kind word for that piece of shit. He’s on parole for rape, assault with a deadly,” Kraus said.

  Jake scratched his chin. “I know Vice has been after Spike for years. Maybe we can lock him up for good this time. I’ll set this up. Hang around, this is going to go down fast.”

  Jake outlined the operation in his head as he made the necessary calls and set up the meeting.

  * * * *

  Everyone crowded into Jake’s office. Mike Testa of Special Operations worked out the details for the safe house. Jake ordered round-the-clock protection for the Darcy family. The officers involved would be Burke, Kraus, Romanelli, and himself. They wanted to keep this quiet with no leaks. Other than them, only Mike Testa, Special Agent Franklin of the FBI, and Captain McGuire knew of the operation. After Wilkesbury got Darcy and her kids away and to the safe house, the FBI would take over. They wanted her and the children alive with no complications. Each member of the team would wear vests, two drivers waiting outside would protect the inside team with long range rifles. Jake felt it was enough fire power along with their departmental issued side arm.

  They chose a house owned by the FBI in Watertown off Guernseytown Road. The old white farm house with the wrap-around porch was in need of a paint job. It also gave them a three-sixty view. A thousand-foot-long driveway would give the team a clear view of anyone approaching from the front. Open fields to the right and woods to the left merged into the back-property line sixty feet from the house. It would be easy to monitor anyone approaching.

  The captain wanted to wait until morning. Burke felt the longer they waited, the less chance the Darcy family had to survive. He didn’t trust Sniff Lee to keep his mouth shut. In the end, the captain agreed.

  Jake handpicked two officers to go in with them. No one got the address until they were on their way. Everything was on a need-to-know basis. He stressed the need to be on high alert. They took three identical cars—Jake and Officer Sherman in one, Louie and Officer Burrows in another, with Burke and Kraus out front. Once in the cars, Jake gave the drivers the address. Louie and Burrows went to the back entrance when they arrived at Wiggins Street. Burke and Kraus drove up to the front of the building. Jake and Sherman pulled in behind them. They got out with their rifles locked and loaded.

  Jake went in with Burke and Kraus. He let Burke do the talking and kept his back to him to view the hallway. Burke knocked on the door to apartment 3D. “Police. Open up, Ms. Darcy.”

  “No, go away, I don’t know anything,” she pleaded.

  “Ms. Darcy, you can bet someone has already called Spike. It would be wise to open up or we’ll take down the door,” Burke said.

  They all knew the longer they stayed in the building, the longer they were exposed. Jake felt they had a target on the center of their backs as he scanned all the apartments on the floor.

  A pale, shaking woman with her right eye blackened and her lips bruised and swollen opened the door a crack. Burke pushed his way in. Jake stayed outside in the hall with his rifle at the ready.

  “Why can’t everyone leave me alone? I made a mistake when I opened my door. I don’t care about the other people. I want my kids safe. Go away,” Ms. Darcy begged.

  Jake thought it best to let Burke do the talking. She was more familiar with him. “We’re here to keep your kids safe. How long do you think Spike’s going to let you stay alive? Get the kids. We’ll supply whatever you need. We don’t have time for you to pack anything. Move it.” Burked looked around. “Where are the kids?” Burke asked.

  “They’re in the closet in the bedroom.” She wrung her hands.

  Kraus, the third man in group, went back into the bedroom. He picked up the three-year-old, and took hold of the five-year-old’s hand. Burke got the one-year-old, who screamed in his ear. Jake continued to scan the hallway as he listened in.

  “Ms. Darcy, follow my directions exactly and no one will get hurt. Take the young one in your arms and hold on tight. We’re going out in a tight formation, you in the middle, between me and Detective Kraus. We’ll each carry a kid. You’re going into my car with the youngest. The other two are going with my lieutenant, who’s standing guard in the hall. Got it?”

  “You can’t separate us. You’ll scare them,” she said.

  “This is the safest way. Ready?”

  Jake heard Burke cock his gun. He swore he could see the thick, heavy tension fill the air as they all started to leave the building. Darcy’s fear crawled over his skin.

  “Oh, my God!” She wiped the tears running down her face as she snuggled the baby to her chest.

  “Are you ready, Annie?” Burke asked as he looked up and down the hallway and gave Jake the nod to start out.

  “Yes.” Jake heard her whisper under her breath. “Please, God, protect my babies.”

  Jake hoped He was listening, because they needed a miracle to get out of there alive.

  Since he, Kraus, and Burke went into the apartment building, clouds had formed, threatening rain. Jake hoped the gray overcast sky wasn’t an omen. He led the team out of the building, Burke in the middle and Kraus bringing up the rear, shotgun poised to fire, covering Ms. Darcy as they marched to the cars. Sherman protected their flank. They hurried Ms. Darcy and the youngest into Burke’s car. Jake shielded the other two kids into his car, gently pushing them onto the floor, telling them to stay down. Sherman climbed in back with the kids, making sure they did what they were told. Jake gave Louie the all clear to come around the front.

  He saw Louie’s car come around the corner first before he heard the squeal of tires. A black Cadillac raced toward them, swerving to the curb. Burrows and Louie flew out of their car, guns aimed. Jake saw the barrel of the rifle hanging out of the black car’s passenger side window and took his shot through the front windshield. Louie shot at the front tires, Burrows at the back. The Caddy veered off the street and drove into a lamp post head-on. The driver and shooter rambled out of the car as they shot at them over their shoulders, running in opposite directions. The first car had already left the area. They were two blocks away, trying to make the highway before anyone had a chance to follow them. Jake jumped into the second car with Officer Sherman and took off.

  “The kids are okay, Lieutenant,” Officer Sherman said.

  In his car, Jake gave the rear-view mirror a constant check to be sure they weren’t being followed. He called for backup to support Louie and Burrows and hoped it arrived in time.

  * * * *

  Louie’s heart pounded in his chest, his veins constricting as the sounds exploded in his ears. God, he wished it would slow down. Looking over to the passenger seat, he checked on
Burrows and gave a sigh of relief when he saw the kid was okay. It took a few moments to catch his breath. He used the secured channel they were assigned to for the op and notified McGuire of their status. His backup had arrived. They started combing the streets for the driver and the shooter. Louie didn’t talk with Jake. They’d agreed beforehand radio silence would be maintained to ensure the safety of the witness and her children. An hour seemed like an eternity, but it was the agreed-upon time. Lord, he hoped Jake was okay.

  The time dragged on for Louie. At a minute to the hour, he pressed in the cell number for the operations. “Hey, everything all right, there?” Louie used no names.

  “Yeah, everything’s fine. No injuries?” Jake asked.

  “None, but they got away. We’re combing the neighborhood now. Don’t expect we’ll find them, unless someone gives them up.”

  * * * *

  A little drizzle had started to fall. Jake hung up with Louie as he patrolled the perimeter of the house. His adrenaline hadn’t returned to normal yet. On the deck outside the dining room window, he sat and listened to Burke and Special Agent Franklin outline the program to Ms. Darcy. They told her the relocation gave the family a fresh safe start wherever she wanted, with money in her pocket and a nice neighborhood for her kids. His phone vibrated in his pocket.

  “Carrington.”

  “Jake, I thought you’d like to know that Spaulding’s request for DNA testing has been approved. They’re taking the samples sometime this week,” McGuire said.

  Lousy timing, he thought. Jake hung up with Shamus. He’d be there for the collection and delivery of the specimen. You could go months with nothing major going down, then you got hit with weeks like this one: two deaths, one crazy bitch stalking him and Mia, information that might lead to an arrest on a cold case, and someone forcing him to face his demons.

  His thoughts rolled back to last night’s conversation with Mia.

  He settled onto his couch, put his feet up on the coffee table and dialed Mia’s number. “Hey, what’s going on?” Her hesitation had him sitting up. “Mia?”