Case of the Murdered Bride Ch. 02

"He seems to rub people the wrong way." Cindy said. "There are a lot of people who don't really do anything wrong, but the 'system' works to their detriment and they find themselves on the outside looking in, sometimes without really understanding why, or at least not admitting to it. Like Teresa before we found out why she was the way she was."

"Nice point, Lieutenant." I said. "And Sharples is on that bubble in Vice now. Hasn't done anything really wrong, but there are strangenesses, and I just keep wondering what's really going on with that guy..." It was not correct of me to talk about a police officer like that, but sometimes 'gossip' of this nature helped facilitate future information and actions.

"Okay, what about Blair?" I asked.

"Blair just may be someone we should take interest in." said Nash. "He's been with Lightsource just a bit longer than Larry Lang. Apparently they're good friends; the guy at the pro shop of the River Valley Golf Course said Blair plays golf with the Langs quite often, though Blair has different women with him at times, and sometimes they play as a threesome... or a twosome: he sometimes plays with Larry or with Diane alone. I called a couple of people at Lightsource, too. They say Blair and Larry have indeed taken vacation days at the same time, allegedly for long-weekend fishing trips."

"Yes, interesting." I said. "See if we can get Lightsource's H.R. to tell us when those vacation days were over the last couple of years. Anything else about him?"

"He was a good sales agent at several previous places of employment, but didn't stay with any one for a very long time. He took the job at Lightsource as the boss of the sales agents, and part of his job is to teach them sales techniques. Apparently he's good at teaching; his teams have done very well. This last year, he's been trying to build on that on his own, giving sales seminars in the City on some weekends." said Nash.

After a pause and glance at both me and Cindy, Nash continued: "What was interesting to me about him was his finances. His credit cards are maxed out, and he's behind in payments on one of them. He has an expensive BMW and lives in a home that's beyond what he needs, and maybe beyond his means. I called Elsie Gringer, who is the gossip columnist for the Examiner, and she told me that Blair and Diane Lang have been seen together playing tennis as well as golf, and he's given her a number of rides in his car."

"Well," I said, "the three of us know that the Langs are swingers, and it's more than a little possible that Blair is part of their fun company."

"Yes sir," said Martin, "but it occurred to me that maybe Larry didn't know that Blair and Diane might be doing a little extra on the side. Larry finds out, confronts them, he disappears, she ends up dead..."

"But neither Blair nor Larry showed up on any videos at the Hotel on the night she was murdered." I said. "Not that that exonerates them from being there somehow. Okay Martin, check up on Blair's whereabouts on the night of the murder. So...what about this guy who was not Diane Lang's real husband, but was playing her groom on the night she was murdered? Have we not found anything on him at all?" I asked.

"Not yet, but the FBI has a bead on the cabbie." said Nash. "He's an ex-con, original name was Joey Franks, small-time thief, safecracker. Problem is that he was last known to be in New York City over three years ago, and his name hasn't popped up on the grid since that time. Sandra thinks he's using an assumed name, and she's working with the FBI and NYPD in New York to see if she can come up with something for us."

"I don't mean this as a personal affront to your friend Sandra," I said, "but it's clear as Cindy's competition heels that the FBI has some interest in this, and maybe it's more than Atkins's toy soldier stuff. Looks to me like the FBI is trying to find Franks first." Cindy used to wear clear lucite high heel slides in her Miss Physical America competitions, and she looked hot in them.

"I won't say you're wrong about that." said Martin. "Though I haven't seen Cindy in her competition heels."

"YouTube, my friend." I said. "I would try to make their swimsuits an official police uniform, but I don't think this Police Department could handle it if Cindy came in that way."

"That's right, you guys can't handle the truth." Cindy replied in a withering voice, but I could see by the gleam in her eye that she was liking the compliments.

"No doubt." said Nash. "But as to the FBI, I think they're playing it straight up with us." said Nash. "I think Special Agent in Charge Muscone would've contacted you by now if there was a problem, of if they had any reason not to give us Franks if and when they find him."

"That's a good point, Martin." I said. "Okay guys, let's see what we can do to wrap this case up. I think if we find the guy playing the 'groom' that night and the cabbie that picked them up, we'll go a long way to solving this case."

"Which one of them do you think did it?" Cindy asked.

"I don't. No data yet." I replied. "Martin, if you and Sandra would like to visit the City tonight, I'll expense a hotel room for you, and a good meal at a nice restaurant. Just don't get crazy about it like the party animal you normally are."

Nope, couldn't get a grin out of Nash for that one, though Cindy chuckled. Also, though she was on Jack Muscone's FBI team, Sandra was living with Martin in his condo and working full-time out of the FBI's office in the Federal Building on our Courthouse Square. Finally, I need not say how happy I was that, as the Police Commander, I could approve expenses for my Detectives, instead of having to ask the Chief. That saved some serious frickin' time.

"Check the hotel and bar where Atkins said he was on the night of the murder." I said. "Upload his picture, and also the cabbie and 'groom', just in case. And unless you actually find the perps and make arrests, or find a huge lead needing following immediately, there's no need to call me; you can just report in in the morning when you get back."

"On my way. Thanks." Martin said, getting up and leaving.

"All right, Cindy, you can go home." I said. "Hooker heels optional at dinner tonight."

"I think I'll dress sensibly, for your family's sake." said Cindy, standing up. "Of course, what I do when Jenna and I get back home... I'll just keep to myself." With that, she turned and walked out the door, prancing as if she was walking down the runway for one of those Miss Physical America competitions...

Part 10 - Dinner Parties

"That was a really delicious dinner, Laura." said Jenna Stiles as we enjoyed some post-meal coffee in the den. It was about 9:00pm, and Laura was holding baby Jim, who was fast falling asleep. Carole had liked Jenna well enough, but had shown a preference for being held by her buddy Cindy, to Cindy's delight.

"Don grilled the steaks." Laura said. "And Cindy made the salad and pasta. All I did was set the table and pour the tea."

"Well, you organized us well." I said. Laura smiled as she put Jim in the baby rocker. I was observing Cindy and Jenna. Cindy was wearing a tight, clingy dress with green and brown flower patterns, and while she didn't wear the clear heels, she did wear high heel slides, and she was looking smoking hot. Jenna Stiles was wearing a black dress that showed off her darkish red hair, and high heel black pumps. I'd fuck either one of them, I thought to myself as I drank some wine, if they only played on my team...

Just then my cell phone rang. It was Martin Nash. I answered the phone as I headed to the formal living room. "Whaddya got, Martin?" He told me his shocking story:

---------

"Hi." said Sandra as she and Martin sat down at the bar at the Marriott Grande Hotel in the City. "Were you working here two nights ago, on the 9th?"

"Maybe." said the bartender, a tall man with blonde hair, who was in his late twenties. "Who wants to know?"

"I'm Sandra Speer with the FBI and this is my partner Martin Nash." said Sandra, smiling prettily to disarm the man with her feminine charm and wiles. "We're wondering if you could tell us if some people were here that night."

"Yes, I was here." said the bartender. Martin Nash held up his cellphone.

"Did you see this guy?" Nash asked, showing the picture of Keith Atkins.

"Yeah, he looks familiar." said the bartender. "I think he was having dinner with someone. Let me get Kate in here, she was on duty that night, too." The bartender made a phone call, and soon a pretty but voluptuous girl with black hair was approaching the bar.

"Kate, these guys are with the FBI." said the bartender. "Do you remember this guy being here a couple of nights ago?"

Kate looked at the picture. "Oh yeah, he and another guy were here. I think this guy was a salesman trying to sell something to the other guy."

"Do you remember what time they were here?" asked Sandra.

"I think they came in at seven o'clock or so." said Kate. "They were here about an hour."

"Anything in particular you can remember about them? Did they drink a lot?"

"No, I don't think they drank much. It was just two guys having a business dinner." said Kate. "The guy in that picture, he paid the bill."

"Our manager will have to look up the receipts for you." said the bartender. "I'll call him now."

"Thanks." said Martin. "Before you do, let me ask you if you've seen either of these guys, as well." He showed them the picture of the cabbie from the hotel footage. Neither hotel employee had seen him. Then Martin showed the picture of the 'groom'.

"Hmm, he looks familiar. Kate?" said the bartender.

"Yeah, he sure does... hey!" said Kate. "I think he was the guy that first guy was having dinner with?"

"He was the client?" asked Sandra. "They guy the other man was selling to?"

"Yeah... I think he was, he was the other guy..."

---------

"Wow, Martin, that is huge!" I said into my cellphone. "Any possibility of getting an ID?"

"I don't know yet." said Martin. "Atkins paid the dinner bill with a Stadler Office Supply credit card, and he paid for his hotel room with the same card. He and the other guy left together, the lobby staff don't really remember seeing them, but they remember Atkins saying goodnight to them before going to his room. Hotel security says they've already overwritten the security cameras in the lobby and hallways for that night, too."

"Okay, great job." I said. "You and Sandra enjoy the rest of the night, and have a good dinner..."

--------

"It's almost ten o'clock." I said, turning on the television. "Bettina has a new night reporter. Let's see how she does. Dunno why they replaced Priya Ajmani, though."

"Oh, didn't you hear?" Cindy said, looking surprised at my lack of knowledge. "Priya Ajmani took a new job... with KSTD."

"How'd she get out of the non-compete clause?" I asked. Usually television reporters had six month non-compete clauses in their contracts.

Laura said "What I heard is that someone paid Bettina a little something, actually a lot of something, under the table to let Priya out of her contract."

"And Burt West, too, I'd imagine." I said, mentioning the editor of the newspaper, the Town & County Examiner. "Hmmm, wonder why Wargrave wanted Priya so badly? Er, for his TV station, that is."

"Well, she's hot as hell in the looks department, and she's pretty popular with the TV audiences." said Cindy. "But she's not Bettina and never will be, so she had no chance to move up at KXTC."

Laura said "I also suspect that Priya and Bettina didn't get along as well as they appear to on TV. Your mother and Elsie Gringer just might know more about that, and I won't break that confidence." Ah, I thought to myself, so that's how Laura knows so much about this. Elsie Gringer was the social queen and gossip columnist at the Examiner, and she was also Bettina Wurtzburg's aunt. And my mother... geez, you wanna talk about someone who knows everything that's going on...

"I'll have to have a word with Ms. Wurtzburg." I said. "I'm really wondering about that..." I went into a reverie.

"Don," Cindy said, her voice reproving, "not everything that happens in this Town has a sinister purpose, you know."

"No, just the things that seem to come to my attention, my friend." I replied. "Isn't that right, Carole?"

"Da-da." Carole replied, looking over at me as I spoke to her. The ol' Iron Crowbar's heart was thoroughly melted.

At that moment the KXTC news came on. KSTD would come on at 11:00pm. Indeed, the KXTC News At Ten was hosted by a blonde woman named Amber Harris. Amber was very attractive, and I noticed that she was very well toned, almost as muscular as Cindy. Amber had been a sports reporterette in the past, but was now the co-anchor with Bettina for the evening news, and the sole night anchor at 10:00pm.

"This is Amber Harris at the KXTC Channel Two Newsdesk!" said the lovely blonde as the Chiron at the bottom of the screen said 'KXTC Channel Two Newsdesk', which I guess was to reinforce what was being said. "With the Elections just scant weeks away, Daniel Allgood is a virtual lock for Sheriff with nearly 90% support. Mayor Vaughan and all of the Town & County Council members are expected to easily win their respective races, and District Attorney Gil Krasney is comfortably ahead. Only the Coroner's race and the State Senate race are close at this time, and the race for the newly elected post of Solicitor is distributed among a wide field."

"Speaking of the Coroner's race, Coroner Steven Lester Haines was formally reprimanded by the Town & County Council at their meeting this evening, for releasing a Police Crime Lab photograph of the deceased Diane Lang to the Media without authorization. KXTC Channel Two News ran the picture, and has apologized for their error in showing it before the next-of-kin was notified. Coroner Haines has apologized for the error but has refused to resign, asking the voters to forgive his mistake and re-elect him. His opponent, Dr. John Quincy Kelly, called upon Coroner Haines to resign, saying that such breaches of the public trust are too serious to be lightly dismissed. Coroner Haines had led the race by ten points, but spot-polling today shows the race may be narrowing."

Amber continued: "In the tri-county State Senate race, Democrat Katherine Woodburn and Republican John Cummings are in a statistical dead heat and are hitting the stumps with speeches. While Ms. Woodburn has walked back some of her earlier fiery rhetoric aimed at the Town & County Police, she has stepped up attacks upon her opponent, declaring him to be a TEA Party Extremist desiring to deny women birth control and the long-established Right to Choose, denying DREAMers the right to stay in America, and wanting to cut essential Government services in order to give the top 1% yet more tax cuts.. Mr. Cummings has replied that Ms. Woodburn is a big-spending liberal with close ties to the late Senator Nathan Allen, and that she would be wrong for the County and the State Senate. Now let's go to John Hardwood. Johnny!"


"Thank you, Amber." said John Hardwood, standing outside the City Hall complex on the west side of the Courthouse Square. "The Town & County Council meeting tonight centered around the hot-button issue of Police precincts, which seems to be gaining support with a majority of the Council. The precincts initiative, long sought by Councilman Reginald B.F. Lewis but opposed by former Police Captain Harold Malone, took a large step closer to passage when the Council appointed a Committee to hear and prepare plans for precincts.

"Councilpersons Colby and Schoen were the only two opposed, with Mr. J.P. Goldman abstaining from the vote." continued Hardwood. "Channel Two News called Police Chief Griswold for a statement, and Chief Griswold replied that while he thought the County was not large enough to warrant division into precincts, he was retiring and that it wasn't his, and I quote, 'cross to bear'. Police Commander Donald Troy declined to comment as well, saying he was an employee of the Police Department and would abide by the Council's decisions. Channel Two News has learned, but has not confirmed, that Commander Troy will be tasked with coming up with a plan for Police precincts..."

"Ouch, is that true?" Cindy asked me.

"Yep." I said. "Precincts are actually a done deal, I'm afraid. I present my plan next Tuesday night."

"Damn." Cindy said. "What are you going to do?"

"What I always do: make lemonade out of lemons." I replied. "At least I can give input and mitigate the damage. The Chief liked my ideas, so in the face of the inevitable, he'll help get my ideas passed. By the way, guys, not a word of this to anyone until I've made the presentation."

Jenna asked "If you don't mind my asking, why the opposition to precincts?"

I said "Captain Malone was the real stumbling block, and he's gone now. The Chief is old-school, and he likes things the way they are now. I'm a bit more flexible about it. I don't think we're really large enough to need to be divided and spread out, but if I can keep MCD and Vice intact at Headquarters, then deploying Uniformed units won't be too bad."

"Good luck with that." said Cindy. "It'll kill us if the Detectives are split up, but some of the uniformed officers are actually in favor of it."

"Jenna," Laura asked, changing the subject, "what's going on with the Solicitor position?"

Jenna replied "The Solicitor handles small cases, such as traffic citations, code enforcement violations, non-violent misdemeanors and the like. The D.A. used to appoint one of the ADAs to that specific task, but the Council decided a few months ago to make it an elected post, as it is in most other counties in the State, after the Nathaniel Jones case and all that racial stuff came out last summer."

"Who do you think will win that?" I asked.

"Miriam Walters." said Jenna. "She was doing the job for two years." Miriam Walters had black hair that she kept fairly short, beady eyes that rivaled Jenna's but more closely reminded me of Jack Muscone's eyes, and a decent hourglass figure. But she was as cold as ice, even more so than Teresa 'Cunt' Croyle on a bad day.

"Well, Jenna, I think we need to be going." Cindy said. Carole was getting cranky in my partner's arms, fighting hard to stay awake."

"Okay, Carole, time for bed." I said as I took her from Cindy. That didn't fly at all: Carole began fussing and crying and reaching for Cindy. "Easy, Fussbudget, what's the matter? It's time for bed, little girl." Carole still fussed.

"I'll put her in her crib." said Cindy, taking Carole. My daughter calmed down somewhat, but was still cranky and trying to stay awake, wanting to know what was going on. A fighter she was, I thought, secretly proud of my little girl.

Cindy took Carole to her crib while Laura put Jim down in his in our bedroom. Carole cooed as Cindy talked to her, then my daughter finally closed her eyes and relented to inevitable sleep.

"See you in the morning, Boss." Cindy said as we all made our goodbyes. "And prepare to get worked over in the gym."

"I hope that's a promise not to be kept, as opposed to a threat to lose sleep over." I said...

Part 11 - S.O.S.

On the morning of October 12th, Martin Nash arrived back home at Headquarters at 8:30am. He and I headed to Stadler Office Supply.

"That was a real break, finding out that our 'groom' was Atkins' client at the dinner." I said.

"Thanks to you." Nash said. "You told me to take his picture. I'd have never thought to. I learned something there. So did Sandra."

"And I'm not even sure what made me tell you." I said. "Premonition, I guess. Okay, here we are."

Stadler Office Supply was not like an 'Office Depot' or 'Staples', but sold things like major furnishings and lighting. We went inside, where a secretary called her boss to the lobby.