Caught in the Act Ch. 02

We all went into the private bedroom area, where Gayle pointed out a second bug under the chest of drawers on the right side wall. Laura took Gayle back to Gayle's anteroom office and whispered some instructions to her, then Laura and I went outside the building and sat on a bench between the Psychology Building and the Pharmacy Building next door.

"It had to be Nick Eastwood last night." said Laura. "Gayle sweeps for bugs every day, and there were none yesterday."

"I agree." I said, my eyes introspectively looking far into the distance.

"But... why?" Laura asked, looking at me as I looked sightlessly forward. "What possible reason could Nick have for wanting to bug my offices?"

"Even more," I replied, "where did Nick get two sophisticated bugs like that? And the answer to that question begets the real reason for it." I looked around, swirling my head in every direction, looking for a vehicle that might be picking up the signal from the bug. I didn't see anything immediately, and realized that a parked, empty car could have a re-transmitter.

"I'm sitting here wondering if we should use the bug to pass on false information." I said, thinking.

"It might be nice if you tell me who you think is behind this, and why." Laura said, sounding like Cindy Ross about that... and she was right.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that." I said. "I think Nick came over to your office not just to have sex but to plant those bugs. He's doing in on behalf of someone, someone he's obviously willing to take that risk for. The reason for the bug is the hope that you and I talk about the Derrick Belle murder, or that you talk to Gayle or Melina about the murder after having talked to me about it. They want to know what I'm thinking about it. And in a weird way, this actually is confirming that I'm on the right track."

"Okay, what track is that?" Laura said. I told her my theory...

Part 13 - Oh Yeah, the Derrick Belle Murder Case

"Thank you for coming in, Mrs. Belle." I said as Shayla and her lawyer Jeanine Olivet Burke came into Interrogation-A, being formal despite having had my cock sucked then buried to the hilt inside this woman the evening before. Sitting beside me was Detective Claire Michaels.

"I am going to read you your rights again, Mrs. Belle." I said, and did so before continuing: "I need to clarify a few things, Mrs. Belle, just for the record. You have stated that you were aware that your husband had filed divorce papers against you, and you also were aware that you had been completely cut out of your husband's will, is that not right?"

"That is correct, Commander." Shayla said, being formal with me herself despite having copulated with me the evening before.

"I happen to know that in the past it was well known that your husband had threatened you with divorce if he caught you cheating again, and for a time you were very careful not to get caught, is that not right?"

"I took precautions." said Shayla. "Though after he filed for divorce I didn't care anymore."

"Indeed." I said. "In fact, you had no problem a'tall bringing Seth Warner to your home and engaging in sex with him. And this wasn't the first time you did that, was it?"

"No sir." said Shayla, "Seth and I made love in my husband's bed on two other occasions."

"Yes, but your husband didn't come home during those times, and Seth left. But this time, your husband walked in on you... and that is what you wanted, wasn't it, Mrs. Belle?"

"What do you mean?" said Shayla.

"I mean," I said, "that you wanted your husband to catch you having sex with another man in his house, in his bed. You were hoping for a physical confrontation so that you could contest the divorce on the grounds of his physical cruelty to you... am I right, Mrs. Belle?"

"Is there anything illegal in that?" Shayla asked. That prompted Jeanine to whisper something to Shayla. "That is not an admission of anything." Shayla said.

"Commander," said Jeanine Burke, doing her job, "I have to ask at this point if there is a direction to your line of questioning, and if so would you please get to your point?"

"Certainly." I said. "But first, I want to confirm something: Mrs. Belle, you once said you go running at the University Track regularly?"

"Yes, I do." said Shayla.

"Did you go running there the day your husband was murdered?" I asked.

"Yes, I went that morning."

"Before it rained that day, or after?" I asked.

"Before." Shayla said. "I was at the grocery store when the rain hit, and I had to wait until it let up to get to my car with my groceries."

"Again, Commander," said Jeanine, "what is this leading to?"

I replied "I believe Mrs. Belle was seeking a confrontation with her husband to help her out during her divorce. But it didn't work out. Maybe she expected to go back home alone, where Derrick might be induced to take a swing at her. Maybe Seth was aware of this plan, maybe not. Maybe he was going to stay outside and be a witness, or maybe not. I'll certainly ask him about it."

"However," I continued, "something went wrong, and Mr. Belle ended up dead when you went back to your house. So maybe with that plan gone, you went forward with another one."

"And running at the Track? What is that about?" Jeanine asked.

"You'll find out about that in the discovery phase," I said, "should your client be put on trial for the murder of her husband."

"Okay, Shayla, time to go." Jeanine said, getting up. "Tell the police officers that you are invoking, and unless they're going to arrest you, we're leaving."

"I'm invoking, then." Shayla said brightly and matter-of-factly, as if it were simply the next line in a stage play, giving us a look of 'Well, that's what she told me to do', but no anger, no guilt in her attractive face.

After they left, Claire said "Commander, may I speak frankly?"

"By all means." I said.

"I don't understand." Claire said. "You just enticed a suspect to invoke, and with respect, sir, there was no reason to do that, at least not yet.

"I would agree with you, Detective," I said, "except that it doesn't matter. As soon as Myron brings me the data I've asked for, we'll be wrapping this up, and no amount of invocation of Mrs. Belle's considerable rights will be of any importance to solving this case and making the correct arrest." And just to be nice and play fair, I told Claire what was going to play out...

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Myron Milton and Julie Newton came into my office at 4:00pm. "Commander, I don't see how you get the results you do, but you get them!" he said, praising me.

"No, Myron, my friend," I replied, "you get the results. I just suggest where you might find them."

"Well, I found them where you said to look." said Myron. "And Detective Newton also has something."

"Yes sir." Julie said. "I began looking through the financial records of Belle Settlement Solutions. I've barely started, as the company is about nothing but financial transactions, but as Myron said, you showed me where to look. There are indeed some transactions of dubious legality, and possibly some skimming of some money from the overhead costs."

"That's great!" I said. "Julie, keep on tracing those potentially dirty transactions, and let me know what you find. Myron, you come with me now."

I convened a meeting in Classroom 'E' with Myron, ADA Paulina Patterson, Detectives Claire Michaels and Lorena Rose, and of course my partner, the ever-suffering Lieutenant(B) Cindy Ross.

I said "Okay, Myron has the cell tower pings, putting our suspect right near the crime scene during the hours the crime had to have occurred, as well as on the University Campus at the practice fields before the murder, and after the murder near the trash can where the poker was found. We've got the Crime Lab results on the artificial grass blades, and I've given you my own statement ascertaining my observations of the suspect and reasons for my suspicions. Paulina, what else do you need for an arrest warrant?"

"Prayers." said Paulina. "Circumstantially it holds, but it's thin. A good lawyer is going to have a good chance to put reasonable doubt in a jury's mind."

"I'm hoping for some corroborative evidence once we make the arrest, especially if we can find the shoes with traces of that mud and artificial turf." I said. "In any case, it's the hand we're dealt. And I'm ready to lay down my cards, and call."

To be continued.

Do you know who killed Derrick Belle? And why?

You've seen the clues, in this series as well as previous stories.

Place yer bets!