Murder in Buckhead, page 12
“Psychiatrist? He was going to a psychiatrist? How did you find that out?”
“Well, I kinda also borrowed his iPhone from the evidence room. Which Chief Dorcell knew about as well. One more thing, we now know Liam has a temper, which was firmly established at the Havana Club.”
“Add to that my confrontation with him at Starbucks. He’s one angry dude.”
“Anything from your side?”
“Not yet. I have my man here working for me.”
“You mean your hacker?”
“That statement doesn’t deserve an answer, Turner.”
We momentarily ceased the conversation as our waitress approached with our food and our beers.
“Anything else I can get you gentlemen?”
“Not at the moment, thanks.”
“Enjoy your meal.”
For the next few minutes, the only sound coming from our mouths was biting into the delicious burgers and French fries. Turner was the first to continue with the conversation.
“I’m going to look into Liam’s arrest records and see if I can find anything that indicates he may have had trouble with the law.”
“It seems to me that Liam is the prime suspect here. I mean his fingerprints are on the Starbucks cup, his sweater matches the one on the security tape of the unknown person who was seen both entering and leaving on the day Casey died, and he had a fight with Casey in early February. Most of all there’s the situation with Blaire. He bought the condo in the same building as Blaire to try and win her back.”
“All circumstantial, Ludefance. Besides, you can’t stick that last one on the evidence list. He’s free to buy or rent accommodation wherever he pleases.”
“Yes, but don’t you think it’s just a bit too convenient for him to buy a condo in the same building? He could possibly have killed Casey and now he’s trying win Blaire’s heart. I mean, she dated him before, right?”
“I maintain it’s still all circumstantial and unless we get some irrefutable evidence, I will continue to be out of a job.”
“Well, here’s an idea. You can come work with me. We can open a Ludefance/Turner Securities office.”
“That’s a joke, right?’
“Okay. You don’t want to come work with me. So, what’s next? What are you planning to do?”
“I don’t know. I need time to do some thinking. You still staying at the same place?”
“No. With my man here, we needed more room. I’m booked at the Residence Inn Atlanta Downtown by Marriott. I also rented a Dodge Ram pickup truck.”
“Got tired of Uber?”
“Yeah! That and I’m thinking of buying one when I get home. Kind of a waste to rent though. I don’t know much about Atlanta, but it seems like most everything is here in the downtown area.”
“Not everything. There’s Stone Mountain, kayaking on the Chattahoochee River. Go a little farther north and there’s Amicaloa Falls. Any one of those would be right up your alley, since you’re a country boy and all.”
“Detective? Don’t go there!”
“Sorry, Ludefance. But you know I’ve read all about you; alligator wrestling, your naval career, divorce—”
“Of course you have. You’re a damn good detective. I wouldn’t try and hide anything from you.”
Since the ‘Club’ officially closed at 3 pm, we moved on to a bar not far away. Over several more beers we settled into comfortable ‘get to know you’ chatter. It was nearly 6:30 when we settled the bill.
“You take care and keep in touch, Detective.”
“You know I will, Ludefance. You do the same.”
CHAPTER 19
I had neglected to ask Blaire where she had moved when I’d texted her about the contract. I sent her a short message and she texted back with an address and entrance code of a gated complex in Sandy Springs. Entering the address in the Ram’s GPS, I carefully listened to the pleasant voice giving me expert directions.
Using the entrance code Blaire had given me, I entered the parking deck to her complex and found a spot next to the front entrance. Next came the front gate to her building. I rang the bell and she immediately answered.
“Jack? Is that you?”
“It’s me.”
“Come on in. I’m on the 6th floor, apartment 607.”
The door buzzed loudly. Pushing it open, I headed toward the elevators. When I arrived, she was waiting outside her door in bare feet, dressed in skin-tight jeans and a white blouse tied at her waist showing off her belly button. I noticed immediately she wasn’t wearing a bra; her shapely bust was outlined against her blouse with her nipples protruding.
“Come in! Come in! I’m so glad you could come. Make yourself comfortable.”
“Nice apartment, Blaire.”
“Well, it certainly isn’t like the condo on Peachtree, but it will do for now. I have two bedrooms, two baths, a big kitchen, and I do love this living room. Luckily all the furniture from the condo fit in here. Jack, I wish you could stay with me? But never mind that now. I’ve prepared Italian pasta and Caesar salad for dinner, with fruit and cheese after. I do have champagne and wine. Oh, I forgot, you like beer, right? I have Corona if that’s okay?”
“Beer is fine. I’m not a champagne drinker per se, but you go ahead and enjoy whatever it is you’re drinking.”
“Well, then. Let me get you that beer.”
She returned with a bottle of Corona, popped the top, and handed it to me.
“Blaire, you said you believe someone is following you?”
“Not just someone. Dirty Bob and Smokey Jim. I noticed their motorcycles in the Kroger parking lot this morning and they were following me around the store. That’s the closest place for me to go for groceries. Now I’m scared that they’ll find out where I live.”
She burst into crying.
“Oh, Jack! I can’t live the rest of my life like this. Please help me? The senator wants me dead just like Anna May. He had her killed even though she was pregnant with his child. If he could cold-bloodedly do that to her, why not me? I don’t want to be the next one on his list!”
“Blaire, it’s okay. But I must be completely honest with you. When we talked the first few times, I wasn’t convinced. It all sounded like some far-fetched fiction novel. But my visit to Anslow and your last interview have erased all doubt in my mind.”
I wasn’t sure how the next bit of information would go over, but I had to test the waters.
“That, and I’ve also had a very long conversation with your mother-in-law.”
“Wait! What? You talked to my mother-in-law? Why would you talk to my mother-in-law?”
Her facial expression turned dark. The displeasure at my revelation was clear.
“Blaire, you’ve asked me to go after the senator and bring him down. You do understand my attempting to do that directly affects your mother-in-law’s life. There is no way I would continue this investigation until I spoke with Scarlet Olmsted. I needed to understand her perspective and her side of the story. We had a very long and difficult talk.”
“Well, that must have been one doozy of a conversation.”
“She believes that her husband is, indeed, a danger to your well-being.”
“What? She agrees that her husband could and would do me harm?”
“Yes, she does.”
“Does she think I had anything to do with Casey’s death?”
“No, she doesn’t.”
“And she understands why I wasn’t at Casey’s funeral?”
“Yes, she does.”
“Does…does she have any idea that I was her husband’s mistress?”
“None.”
“Wow that is a total mindblower. I don’t know what to say.”
For a few minutes we sipped quietly on our drinks.
“Are you ready for dinner, Jack?’
“More than ready.”
Dinner was delicious. Her pasta was done perfectly and served with homemade sauce. Even the Caesar salad was made from scratch. While Blaire continued to down her champagne, I kept my beer consumption to a moderate level. I wasn’t anywhere near being drunk, but Blaire was. After the dinner dishes were cleared away, she served a large dish of assorted cheeses, crackers, and fruit.
“Blaire, dinner was fantastic. An after-dinner drink would make the evening complete. Do you have any liquor?”
“I have everything imaginable. What would you like?” There was an unmistakable hiccup between the ‘you’ and ‘like.’
“Bourbon on the rocks, but I’ll make it. Just show me where everything is.”
“Wet bar in the living room. Make one for me, too. Oh, with some ginger ale.” Another hiccup escaped.
I made hers stiff and mine very weak. My intention was to make sure she was past the drunk stage. After a second bourbon and ginger ale she was smashed and beginning to unravel at the edges. Her eyes began wobbling. When she set her third drink down, I took our glasses out into the kitchen, rinsed them, then put them upside down on the drain board. I checked the master bedroom, turning the bedding down on the king-size bed. When I returned to the living room, she had passed out; her head leaning on the back of the sofa.
I took her in my arms, then carried her into the master bedroom and laid her on the bed. For some strange reason, I felt very sanctimonious. Unbuttoning her blouse, I removed it and laid it on the back of a nearby chair. Despite being skin-tight, her jeans slipped off easily and I dropped them on the floor. After covering her, I made the other side of the bed look as if I’d slept in it. I knew very well what she had had in mind to end the evening, but for me, sex with Blaire just wasn’t in the cards. I remembered Cindy and our stay in New York, and I hadn’t wanted to damage Cindy’s ego then and I certainly didn’t want to damage Blaire’s ego tonight.
Rummaging through the kitchen drawers, I found a black marker and wrote on the mirror in the bathroom - I had great time. Will talk to you later. After all, a girl needs her pride.
CHAPTER 20
Sunday, April 7
Leaving several lights on, I made sure the door was locked as I left the apartment just before 1 am. I was so pleased with myself I almost missed the slight movement of a shadow in the condo parking area which, for some strange reason, was poorly lighted.
Getting into my rented Dodge Ram, I started out of the parking lot. I checked my rear-view mirror and noticed a car with dimmer lights pull out behind me. Looked like a big Lincoln, but I couldn’t be sure, nor could I see inside, as the windows were tinted. I drove out through the automatic gate and turned left onto Roswell Road thinking nothing more about it until I noticed the same car was following me.
Curious to see what would happen, I made a sharp right, pulling off the road into a now-dark gas station. The car passed me. Yup, definitely a Lincoln. I waited a few minutes before I pulled back out onto Roswell Road and started following the SOB.
The Lincoln began picking up speed. I did the same until we came to a traffic light which had just turned yellow. The Lincoln whizzed on through, but I stopped for the red light. Lucky I did. There was a traffic camera pointed directly at me. The moment the light turned green, I floored the Ram and overtook the Lincoln. We played cat and mouse for a few miles. That is until I heard the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. Could it possibly be Dirty Bob and Smokey Jim?
Not sure what the bullet hit, I kept up my speed as I entered the on ramp to I-285 West and kept the Ram at a steady 90 mph. Whoever it was kept right up with me until I did a crazy thing. I took the next exit without slowing down. The Lincoln didn’t respond quickly enough and whizzed by the exit. Slowing the Ram to a crawl, I watched in the rear-view mirror as the brakes on the Lincoln must have locked and the car side-swiped a semi parked on the side of the highway. Coming to a full stop, the Lincoln’s engine began to smoke.
And once more I did a crazy thing. Entering the address of the Residence Inn into GPS, I maneuvered a U-turn on the exit ramp, re-entered I-285, and passed the Lincoln. Taking the highway took me all the way around Atlanta. Exiting at Courtland Avenue, I was soon back at the hotel.
When I got out of the Ram, I checked the back of the truck. What do you know? There was a bullet lodged just above the rear left tire. Yup. They had fired at me. Back in the suite, I cracked Rudy’s door. He was sound asleep and gently snoring. It was before 2 am but I was wide awake. Making myself a black coffee, I debated on whether to report this to the police or not.
I was still shaking from the encounter. I dialed Turner’s number. It was now 2:15 in the morning, but he picked right up.
“Ludefance? You okay?”
“Doesn’t sound like you were sleeping either, Detective.”
“Frankly, I’ve not slept well lately. I’ll ask again. Are you okay?
“Not really, Turner. I had the misfortune of running into some thugs tonight.”
“Thugs? Start from the beginning.”
“I had dinner with Blaire tonight. After I left her apartment, I was followed by a black Lincoln with tinted windows. We engaged in a high-speed chase which ended badly for them as they are probably still sitting on the side of I-285 somewhere. As for me, before they were sidelined, they shot at my truck. The bullet is lodged just above the rear left tire. Now I’m debating whether to report this to the police or not.”
“Not yet. I am coming over there and we can discuss this. Give me about twenty minutes.”
“I’ll meet you in the lobby.”
It would be an understatement to say I was relieved when I saw Turner walk in through the lobby door. I stood up and we went out to parking lot to the rented Ram. Turner looked at it.
“I’ll be damned. It might be best to report this now rather than wait until morning.”
After giving the police my name, address, and all the details, they advised me someone would be out in the morning to verify the information and give me a copy of the incident report. I would need one to return the rental.
Turner had listened to the conversation and knew it was all that could be done for now. He suggested we go get something to eat.
“Might as well, Turner. I know I’m not going to get any sleep tonight.”
CHAPTER 21
Comfortably seated at Waffle House, Turner sipped on his coffee while I downed a plate full of scrambled eggs. Between mouthfuls I asked him, “How on the earth did the senator’s thugs know I was visiting Blaire?”
“How do you know it was them?”
“I didn’t get a chance to see their faces, but I know it had to be them. Blaire claims she saw their motorcycles parked in the Kroger parking lot yesterday afternoon and they followed her around the store. She was scared; wanted me to stay with her.”
“And you refused?”
“Of course I refused. What do you think?”
“I can imagine you and Blaire wrapped up in each other’s arms. Hey, next time you tell her I would be gladly willing to stay with her.”
“Yeah, right. You know, Turner? That’s not a bad idea. I will talk to her about you staying with her as a sort of bodyguard.”
“Great. I need some complications like that, man. I need some spice in my life.”
“You? Me? Who would stay with us? Just look at the statistics, man. Most cop’s wives divorce them. I’ve already had one divorce.”
“But you slept with your client’s secretary. Way to go, pal.”
“First of all, how the hell do you know that little detail? You sound like my buddy, Hiker.”
“Who’s Hiker?”
“He’s now Sheriff of Santa Rosaria County. We’ve been friends since our navy days. Hiker was his call sign.”
“And you forget that I’m paid, or was paid, to know things like that.”
“Yeah! Detectives and PIs are the nosiest people on earth.”
“Your private life is an open book, Ludefance. So, you better get used to it.”
“Look, Turner. Let’s get back to my original question. How the hell did they know I was with Blaire?”
“Could be as simple as they bugged either her phone or her apartment.”
“How the hell did they do that? She just moved into a freakin’ double-gated complex with 24/7 security.”
“To thugs like them, gated and security doesn’t mean a hill of beans; you know that.”
“Maybe I should get my iPhone checked out. On second thought, I have an app that detects conversations on other cell phones. Used it on the last case in Tallahassee. They could have used something similar.”
“You do know you can buy a burner phone and use it to call her?”
“Yeah. Hadn’t thought of that. And she could do the same. Better yet, I think I’ll buy two phones, one for her and one for me.”
“There you go.”
“There what goes?”
“Just an expression, Ludefance. Were you serious about me being a bodyguard for Blaire?”
“That would be entirely up to her. All I can do is ask her.”
“Yes, but you can put in a word; you can recommend me. She is hot, man. Who knows, one thing could lead to other things.”
“You’d be in way over your head, Detective! With a pot belly like that, you need to lose a few pounds.”
It was after 4:30 am before I got back to the hotel. I’d just fallen asleep when Rudy woke me up.
“Boss? Hey, Boss. It’s after 11 am.”
“What? It can’t be. I just fell asleep. What is it you want Rudy?”
“Boss, I was wondering if I can drive the Ram. I want to go to McDonald’s. What can I bring you back?”
“Sorry, Buddy. Last night somebody shot at the truck. When I got back here, I called the police and filed a report. Someone is coming out today to take a look and give me a printout of the incident so I can return it to Enterprise. Until then the truck stays in the parking lot.”
