The Partners in Crime Collection, page 27
“Yeah, that’s the governor’s kid. Carlisle goes by his middle name, which is also his mother’s maiden name, to supposedly ‘distance’ himself from the pressures of being the Governor’s son,” Rick said.
“Huh. I’ll have to talk to Avery about him,” Jack muttered.
“Look, I know you don’t have any reason to trust me, and I understand keeping your investigation closed to any random viewers – I think it’s smart with this case, with all of the weirdness and power plays happening around it. However, if you have questions or need to bounce things off of me, I am ready, willing, and able to answer as much as I can. If I cannot answer it, I’ll tell you who to have your sergeant ask to get the answers. Sound good?”
“Sounds good, Rick. Thank you. You’ve already kept us from following one dead end. Hang in there, okay? I’ve been on the shit end of things, as has Jamie, and we can both sympathize,” Jack said as she rose from her chair. “I’ll walk you out.”
Jamie leaned back in his chair and gave Rick a nod. “Stay safe, Rick. We might be calling on you at some point. Appreciate you coming by.”
“Good luck to you both,” Rick said as Jack opened the door and he stepped out on the landing. He turned and handed a card to Jack. “This has my personal cell on it. Call me anytime. I mean it.”
“Thanks, Rick. Take care,” Jack said as she took the card and stepped back, the door closed between them. She took a moment to lock it and hit the alarm to turn it on before she went back towards the kitchen.
“I think we can believe him,” Jack said as she picked up her cup from the table.
“I think we can, too,” Jamie replied. “Mike thinks he’s being straight with us, and Noah said Weatherby was an asshole to Soraya until a few months back, so it fits with what he was telling us. Now – what can you tell me about this Carlisle kid?”
“You know I sent Ellis to my place to keep an eye on things, right? Well, she told me last night that this Carlisle kid has been snooping around when Avery isn’t watching. Avery caught him going through my desk papers, and Ellis saw him going through the bathroom cabinets.”
“Wonderful. I’d hazard a guess that the kid was encouraged to befriend Avery so he could find out where we are with the case,” Jamie said.
“Oh, I already figured that out. It also means my laptop is locked up if I’m not actively working on it. I’d suggest I leave it here, but I do too much work at home to not have it.”
“True. Just be aware of what paperwork you leave around,” Jamie advised.
“When Ellis told me that, the next morning I went and cleared my desk of all the papers, household or otherwise, and put them in my little fire safe. It’s one of the portable ones, but I had it bolted to the floor in my walk-in closet, so it would make some noise if he were to try and get at it.”
“Okay, so what are we waiting on? Let’s make a list,” Jamie said. “The results of Noah’s DNA run against the various databases, a deeper dive into the texts and calls from Noah’s phone…”
“We need to find out if there are still any Marino family members in the HPD, and we should see if Sarge needs any help with the Whittier and Carlson shootings. There’s also that third article that went missing. Avery can’t find it – it was torn out of the hard copy as well as deleted from the database. The notebooks that seem to relate to it are about following the money donated to political candidates and how dark money has always manipulated elections. We need to talk to Noah about that one.”
“Let’s get to work,” Jamie said.
Dead Wrong: Chapter Fifteen
It was close to the end of the day when Sarge’s number popped up on Jamie’s phone. He tapped the speaker and answered, “Hey, Sarge. Jack and I are here, you’re on speaker.”
“I won’t be by today, sorry. This thing with Whittier and Carlson has blown way the hell up.”
“What’s going on, Sarge?” Jack asked. “Anything we can do to help?”
“Keep digging. They were sitting on the group home and helping track Glen Harvey’s movements, and someone took them out, execution style. CSI says a sniper took them both out within seconds of each other, right through the back window of the car. They never had a chance.”
Jack sucked in a breath and Jamie let out a low, “Damn, Sarge.”
“I’ve called in the sex crimes team to go over some of the information you two have pulled up, and the article about the foster kids going missing, along with what Haviland shared. Let’s see if they can draw any lines.”
“They just need enough to get a warrant to question Harvey. I’m betting the minute the pressure starts to come down on him, he’ll crack like a rotten egg,” Jack said. “The way he was freaking out on the phone call I overheard, he’s already feeling the pressure.”
“It has to be rock solid, though,” Jamie added. “Not so much to get Harvey, but to get him to spill on Jimmy D and the governor. Remember that case a few years back where they had documentation, witnesses, and sworn statements about that rich guy supplying underage girls all over the world? That case was tight, until the guy supposedly committed suicide in his jail cell. If you think Sean Donnegan and his family are above those kinds of dirty tricks, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.”
“I hear you. Both of you. Be careful and I’ll come by for breakfast tomorrow if I can.” He paused, then spoke again. “Forbes, I got a call from a NYC detective named Robbins. He said he wanted to warn me that you were mentally unstable and should not be carrying a gun. I thanked him for his information, and promptly dismissed the bullshit. I hesitate to bring it up because I know it was designed to try and shake your standing with me – and I didn’t want you worrying about that with this nightmare of a case we’ve got going on. I just want you to know that I don’t take bullshit like that into consideration. I’ve seen your work first hand and you’re one of the best detectives I’ve had the honor of working with. I’m telling you because I don’t want it to get to you through side channels and have you questioning my position. Are we good?”
“We’re good, Sarge. Thanks for letting me know. Robbins and I clashed from day one. He’s an old timer who doesn’t think women should wear a badge, and…” Jack started, but Sarge interrupted her.
“Say no more. I figured it was something like that, but again, I’d rather be up front with you than have it come at you unannounced. Call it a day, you two. The next few days are going to be interesting.”
“Thanks, Sarge. Take it easy,” Jamie said as the call disconnected. “So, where can I find this Robbins so I can teach him some manners?”
Jack laughed. “Don’t waste your breath. He’s about six months away from retiring if he survives to that point. That man never met a donut he didn’t eat.”
“It bothers me with the timing, though,” Jamie said.
“Hey, he probably just figured out that I was gone. He’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer. If that’s the best he’s got, we’re good. I’ve got Noah’s call logs uploaded on my laptop. I’ll take it home and work on it there. I want to try and surprise the boys and see if I can meet this Carlisle for myself.”
“Give me a call later, so I know you’re okay?”
“Sure,” Jack said as she packed up her things. “Don’t forget to lock it all up in the safe. G’night, Jamie.”
“Goodnight, Jack,” Jamie replied. He heard the door shut to the garage, then the garage door open and close.
“Noah’s riding home with her to make sure she’s safe, and so he can check in with Ellis,” Mike said.
“Good. I know she’s perfectly capable of protecting herself, but this case is too deadly already and I’m worried,” Jamie replied.
“Whittier moved on right away, but Carlson hung around for a bit before she moved on. She said they saw Harvey helping a teenage girl into a van just before they were shot. The girl looked drugged and completely out of it. She gave me the plates – but I have no idea how you’re going to run them and explain where you got the information,” Mike said.
“I’ll tell Sarge it’s from a CI I told to keep an eye on the place. I don’t have to tell him the informant no longer breathes,” Jamie said. “Give me the plate, I’ll ask Sarge to run it.”
Mike gave him the information and Jamie texted Sarge to please run it in relation to the case.
“I texted him. He’s got a lot going on right now, a call isn’t necessary. He can get to it and send it over whenever he gets a chance. I kinda hate how we have to do everything with an extra step, but until the station’s staff is cleared, it’s just smart,” Jamie said.
“If it keeps you and Jack alive, then it’s a good thing,” Mike said. “Even if it is a pain in the ass.”
“Yes, Moooommm,” Jamie teased back.
“You can joke all you want, my friend, but I’m regretting bringing Noah to meet you. I didn’t expect the feds to shoot up your house, or a sniper to take out a couple of Unies. This case is almost as messy as the case around my murder. Keep your head on a swivel and I’ll keep my band of merry ghosts on the payroll to add a layer of protection, okay?”
“I hear you, Mike. I hear you. I have to joke or I’ll let the stress get to me. You know this.”
“Yeah, I know this. Check the alarms and go to bed. Watch some TV or something to shift gears. You know you always come up with the answers when you’re not directly thinking about it.”
“Good point. I think I’ll do just that. G’night, my friend,” Jamie said and got up to close up the house for the night. The TV put him to sleep before he’d managed to get halfway through the show he’d turned on.
Mike used the voice activated controls to turn off the TV and sat in the dark by the window once more. He would keep watch as long as he was allowed. What, or Whoever, had allowed him to return and stay on this plane as a ghost didn’t give him a time frame on how long he had. Was it forever? Was it just a few months? Years? Until Jameson Kennedy no longer walked among the living? Michael Donovan’s body may have been turned to ash, but he could still feel emotions. He tried to not think about the future too often. All of those stories he’d read, about supernatural and paranormal situations, didn't truly prepare him for being a ghost. Vampires were undead, but they could still see and be seen. They could interact with the physical world the same way as a breathing human, but depending on the lore, they didn’t enjoy the taste of food and drink. They also had to watch everyone they’d ever loved, grow old and die. While Mike missed the taste of a steak and a good beer, he could adapt to not being able to touch or taste. It was watching those he cared about, going on with their lives and grieving him that hit him the hardest.
Mike had gone to Florida twice since he’d died, to see his family. His dad, Mike senior, and his kids, Maureen and Kevin, were doing well. Mike still had a hard time with how much Kathleen had betrayed them all. His wife sat in prison and would be there for decades, for her part in his murder and her solo murder of another young woman. Katie was mentally damaged, and the kids were better off without her in their lives. He just wished it hadn’t cost him his life before they figured it all out.
Figuring out Mike’s murder had had a high cost for Jamie. His reputation and respect in the department had taken a hit, and their friend Joey Mahoney had quit the force. Things still hadn’t settled out at the station, to the point where Jamie had almost quit himself. Sarge didn’t want to lose one of his best detectives, hence why he was playing intermediary and giving them so much leeway on where they worked. That, and the fact that they’d already lost Paul Giannetti, Joey’s old partner, to corruption. Paulie had said there were others but refused to name names unless he got some comforts in prison. They’d decided to investigate the whole precinct rather than give any benefits to Paulie. Mike had to respect that, but they weren’t finding what they needed and he was afraid for Jamie and Jack if they went back into the precinct before the rest of the vermin had been exposed.
Life and death were a given for everyone. It was how one lived that life, and how one died, that separated the good from the bad, the lucky from the cursed. Mike had done his best to live a good life and ended up being murdered. Jamie had worked hard to live a good life, so Mike was going to do his best to keep him from getting dead before his time. It was the least he could do.
Jack parked in front of the neighbor’s house and slung her messenger bag with her laptop so the strap was across her front and the bag against her back. She put her gun in the side holster, locked her car, and headed for her house. It was a couple of hours earlier than she’d been coming in, and she hadn’t sent a message to Avery to let him know she was on her way. As she got closer, she could hear voices and laughter from inside the house through the open windows.
“Come on, Avery. Your mom might be a detective, but I heard she’s not all that. She won’t notice if we drink some of the vodka. Just fill it back up with water,” a male voice said.
“What do you mean, you heard something about her?” Avery asked.
“Tell him, Carlisle,” a voice Jack recognized as Remington’s spoke up.
“Yeah, tell me, Carlisle. And I said put the fucking bottle down,” Avery said.
A clank of glass on wood, and the voice Jack now knew to be Carlisle’s, spoke once more. “I heard from my dad that your mom had to leave New York and find a cop job anywhere else because she was crazy. She went nuts after some druggy whore got killed and died in her arms, then started telling people she could see ghosts. I guess Harbor PD was desperate because they hired her. Then they paired her up with the detective who has gone through more partners in one year than most have in their whole career. Kennedy’s just as fucked up as your mom is, ever since his partner got killed, then the next partner was accused of being part of both organized crime and a murder. Oh, and then Kennedy’s dead partner’s wife gets put away for murdering someone she thought was coming on to her boyfriend – Kennedy’s last partner’s old partner. I know, it’s like a soap opera, but it’s all true. Just ask around.”
Jack had quietly unlocked the door while Carlisle spoke, and stepped into the room. “No need to ask. I can answer any questions you want. But I have some first.” She gave a nod to Avery, then turned to the other two boys in the room. “Remington, I’ve met. You must be Carlisle Shanahan Donnegan.”
Carlisle’s mouth dropped open, then audibly snapped shut.
“Donnegan, huh?” Avery said. “Guess she’s a lot sharper than you thought. Slick, how you didn’t use your real last name. Can’t blame you, though. I wouldn’t want to admit that Sean Donnegan was my father, either.”
“Don’t talk about my father,” Carlisle said as he got to his feet.
“So, it’s okay for you to talk about my mother, but I can’t say anything about your father? Get the fuck out of here. Both of you,” Avery snarled, hands curled into fists.
“Easy, son. I’m sure Mr. Donnegan can find the door on his own. Mr. Farraday, will you make sure your guest finds his way home safely?” Jack said.
“Yes, Detective Forbes. I’ll make sure he gets home okay,” Remington said as he got to his feet and tugged on Carlisle’s arm. “Come on, man. Let’s go.”
“Watch yourself, Detective,” Carlisle said with a sneer. “You’re tangled in a net that’s gonna get you caught up in things you won’t be able to get out of. Like dolphins that die when tuna are caught, you might not be the target, but collateral damage comes in all shapes and sizes.” His gaze turned to Avery, then back to Jack, before he let Remington tug him towards the door. As soon as they were both out, Avery stomped to the door and locked it, his forehead pressed to the wood as he calmed himself.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” he breathed.
“Not your fault, Avery,” Jack said. “I’m sorry I didn’t message you, but I wanted to catch Carlisle before he could scurry off.”
“You knew he was avoiding you?”
“I suspected as much. When I found out who his father was, I decided to pop home early to try and catch him still here. I wanted to see his reaction. I didn’t expect to walk in on him telling you what a fuck up I was.”
“He’s a dick, Mom. I asked Remy and Jeff to not bring him by any more. Jeff stopped coming around when Carl was going to be here, that’s how much of a dick he’s been to everyone. Remy tolerates him because his stepmom is friends with Carl’s parents.”
Jack paused and looked at Avery. “Do you know Remy’s stepmom’s name?”
Avery tipped his head as he thought. “I remember Carlisle making a joke about her being closer to Remy’s age than Mr. Farraday’s age. I think her name is Gabby? She’s from New York. Remy said she was a New York City socialite when his father decided to marry her.”
Jack shook her head. “It can’t be that easy.”
“What?”
“Nevermind. Can you get me something light to eat? I’m hungry, and exhausted, so I don't want a big meal. Just soup or something would be great. I’m going to sit here and check something on my laptop,” Jack said.
“Sure, Mom. How about tomato basil soup and a grilled cheese sandwich?”
“That sounds perfect,” Jack said as she pulled out her laptop and turned it on. Soon she had the wedding announcement for Gabriella Rosa and Reynardo Farraday. Farraday was a widower with a young son, who had found love with the young and beautiful Gabriella Rosa. Remington’s mother had died in childbirth, and the boy had been five when his father married Gabriella. Jack made note of the fact that the wedding happened within a year of Donna’s car accident. That might explain why Gabi never tried to find Noah. Jack felt it was more likely that when Reynardo brought his new wife back to Harbor and they began to mingle in society, Donnegan recognized her and she didn’t dare go for Noah with Sean’s eyes on her.
Avery brought over a mug of soup and the sandwich, so Jack sent the information to the cloud and closed the computer down once more.
