Price No Object Ch. 01

"How do you know that?" asked Cpt. Claire Michaels.

Penny replied: "His named popped up on a search of the Internet, on a couple of sites that aren't well known to the Public but give ratings and evaluations of companies. Aronis really crapped on Cawthorne, which is unusual in that companies usually find ways to say bad things without actually saying them, so they don't get sued. But Aronis apparently didn't care; they said he was crap and to avoid him."

"Hmmm." I said. "Okay, I'm about to have to end this, or my presence in it------"

At that moment the door burst open and Lieutenant Myron Milton hurdled inside, with a laptop in his hand. "Sorry to burst in, everyone." he said as he hooked the computer up to the screen matrix via a dock on the table. "I just found something really big on Dwayne Matheson's computer."

"Is it his business computer?" I asked.

"Yes sir, but that's not the big deal at the moment." Myron replied as he sat down and brought up a file.

It was a video file. It showed a handsome naked man on top of a pretty naked woman in the missionary position. Her legs were spread wide and her arms around his neck, and they were hungrily kissing as he slowly and deeply fucked her with his long, thick cock. It was not hard to recognize the man as Jeff Cawthorne and the woman as Julie Davalos Matheson!

"That's the master bedroom of the Matheson home." I said, making Theo grin his 'movie star handsome' grin as he remembered my comments as we investigated that room. "Well, this might be something that would give someone motive to murder someone."

"It gets better, sir." said Myron as we watched.

"It's pretty damn hot now." said Roark Coleman, laughing at his own joke, but earning him scowls from Claire Michaels and Joanne Warner.

"Just watch." said Myron. A moment later we saw what he was talking about. The camera panned over to a naked man, identifiable as Dwayne Matheson, sitting on the sofa, furiously masturbating as he watched his business partner copulating with his wife. A silvery white fountain of jism erupted from Dwayne's cock as he climaxed, followed by a second, smaller rope of cock cream.

"So who's the cameraman?" I immediately asked.

"No idea, sir." Myron said as he turned the video off. "There are fourteen videos on this computer. The file folders are password protected with different password, as are the video files themselves. But we have tools that broke through the protection overnight. This was the first file I looked at, and I rushed up here to show you guys before looking at the others."

"Decrypt them all and put everything into the evidence servers with my seal on them." I said. "And go through the rest of the computer. Those files will be good for my wife to study, but I'm more interested in the work-related files on there."

"Yes sir." said Myron. As he disconnected the computer, Joanne Warner raised her hand.

"I have a question, sir." the blonde beauty said. " Why would he have that stuff on his work computer that he might be showing other people and that he might lose? Why not put that stuff on a personal computer that he keeps at home?"

"I have no answer for you at this time." I said as I got up. "Okay, I need to go to my meeting. Y'all keep up the great work..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

9:10am, Tuesday, January 5th.

"Well, that was a new wrinkle in the case." said Joanne Warner as Teddy Parker drove his car out of the employees parking lot and drove south on Riverside Drive to Jefferson Avenue.

"What, the sex tape they found on Matheson's computer?" Teddy asked.

"Yes." said Joanne. "I don't understand why he'd have that on the laptop he was using for business."

"Neither does the Iron Crowbar." said Teddy. "Or maybe he does and just didn't say. By they way, is it confirmed it's his business computer?"

"I'll make the 'edumacated' guess that it is." replied Joanne. "Mr. Matheson left it in his car that he pulled up into the driveway when he got home. So he had it for whatever he was doing that day, which I would think was work-related."

Teddy nodded as he turned into the driveway to the Hospital parking lot. "Well, it definitely puts Jeff Cawthorne in a different light."

Joanne didn't say anything in reply as they parked. They got out and walked to the front doors of University Hospital, and went inside. There was not much of a lobby. To the right was the Father Alberto Romano Chapel, and to the left was a small window. But the doors into the Hospital were open, and the Detectives walked on inside to the reception desk at their immediate left.

"Hello Mrs. Warner." said the receptionist. "I'll call your husband and let him know you're here." Seth's office, the doctors's offices, and the Boardroom were on the eighth (and top) floor.

"Thanks, but I'm not here to see him." said Joanne. "And it's 'Detective' Warner today; we're here on Police business. We need to see Alicia Tate of the Records Department."

"Second door to the left down the hall." the receptionist said. "Or would you like me to call her up here?"

"Yes, if you would." said Joanne. The receptionist made the call.

Ten minutes later, they were still waiting. Teddy said "Why don't we just walk on down there and see what's going on."

Joanne said "Let me make this text first." She sent the text and they walked to the door marked 'Records'. It was locked, but the receptionist had observed their actions, and she buzzed the door to become unlocked. Joanne and Teddy walked in.

It was a large room with a number of desks in the middle, and cubicles with desks along the walls. Everyone was busy at their desks, and no one looked up at the Officers, though Joanne noticed a few people looked at them as furtively as they possibly could.

Joanne stopped at the first desk and asked the woman sitting there where Alicia Tate's desk was. The woman just pointed over her shoulder with her pencil, then went back to her work.

As they walked down the aisle, Joanne saw a woman in her mid-twenties with dark brown hair at a desk, and an older woman with lighter brown hair standing right behind her, looking over her shoulder. The nameplate on top of the desk said 'Alicia Tate', and underneath the name were the words 'Accounting' and 'Taxes'.

"Mrs. Tate?" Joanne said as they came up.

"Who wants to know?" the woman standing above her said rudely.

Teddy Parker did not mess around. He took his badge off his belt, held it up, and said "The Town & County Police would like to know." He then looked at the sitting woman and said "Are you Alicia Tate, ma'am?"

"Don't answer that." said the standing woman.

"And you are?" asked Joanne as politely as she could make her voice sound.

"None of your business." said the woman. "Do you have a warrant to be here?"

"We don't need one, ma'am." said Teddy Parker loudly, making sure everyone in the room could hear him. "And let me be clear about something. This Police Officer just asked you to identify yourself. Failure to identify yourself to a Police Officer is a crime in this State, and I will not hesitate to arrest you and take you to Headquarters if you don't answer. What is your name and position here?"

"My name is Donna Childers, and I am the supervisor of the Records Department." said Donna Childers coldly. "We are very busy right now, and do not have time to deal with the Police Department's games. If you wish to speak to any of my employees, get a warrant."

"We don't need one... yet." said Teddy Parker.

"Ms. Childers, is there a problem here?" Joanne said loudly.

"I'd like to know that myself." said a male voice behind them. The Detectives turned to see Hospital Administrator Seth Warner standing there.

"Yes there is a problem here, Mr. Warner." said Donna Childers. "We have deadlines for year-end accounting as well as tax filings, and Mrs. Tate is very busy at the moment. I don't need her being disturbed nor taken away from her duties, even if this Police Officer is your wife."

"Detective Parker is not my wife." said Seth Warner, pointing his thumb at Teddy. "And it's him you're not cooperating with. Mrs. Tate, go with these Officers. If there's an issue where you need legal representation, I am sure they will allow you to call one of our Hospital lawyers. Ms. Childers, let's you and I go to your office. Now."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Let's go in here." said Joanne, leading Teddy and Alicia Tate into the chapel. "I am sure that with my good relations with the Lord, He will not mind us using this room."

They sat down in three of the chairs in the room. "Ms. Tate," Joanne said, "may we record this interview?"

"Why? What is it about?" Alicia asked.

Joanne said "You may have some information we need regarding a case we're working on. If I can't record you here, we'll be forced to take you to Police Headquarters and be interviewed with cameras recording there."

"All right, then." Alicia said. "So is this about the Mathesons?"

"What do you know about them?" asked Joanne as she activated her Police iPhone's video recording capabilities.

"That they're dead." Alicia said. "I heard it on Bettina Wurtzburg's newscast this morning."

Joanne said "Yes, I'm sorry to inform you that they are indeed dead."

Teddy Parker practically interrupted and said "Ma'am, for your protection as well as ours, I'm going to read you your rights." He did so from the card. "Do you understand the rights?"

"Yes." said Alicia. "Do I need a lawyer?"

"It's your right to have one, if you wish." Teddy said. "Mr. Warner did say he'd send a Hospital attorney to sit with us, if you'd like."

"Not right now." said Alicia. "I'll ask for one if I need to. What do you need to know?"

"First," said Teddy Parker, "why was your supervisor so hostile to us? And why was she trying to keep us from talking to you?"

"Turn that recorder off, and I'll tell you." Alicia said. Joanne did so, and Alicia said "She wasn't lying that the New Year is our busiest time of year. I literally have until January 15th to prepare our quarterly tax returns, and I have to balance the books for the entire year by the Hospital Board meeting on January 20th. I'm sure you saw that you can cut the tension with a knife."

Alicia: "But I asked you to turn off the recorder so there's no recorded evidence of me saying this: Donna Childers is an absolute bitch. Everyone in there hates her guts, and I would imagine that they're all hoping Mr. Warner fires her. We're under enough pressure as it is, but she quadruples it. Okay, you can start recording again."

Joanne did so, saying all three of their names into the camera, then nodding to Teddy, who said "Did you know your neighbors, the Mathesons? And if so, how well?"

"I knew Julie." Alicia said. "I wouldn't say we were close friends, but we'd occasionally talk if we saw each other in our backyards or something."

"Did you and your husband socialize with them?" Joanne asked.

"No, nothing like that." Alicia said. "My husband didn't think a whole lot of either of them, nor that guy who was always at their house. I think he was their business partner, but my husband kept saying there were two roosters in that henhouse, which was a mean thing to say because Julie was a really nice person."

"Where were you and your husband last night?" Teddy asked.

"I worked here until about midnight last night." Alicia said. "My husband is out of Town on business... he works for the local office of the State Department of Labor, and they and many other State agencies are having big meetings in Midtown for the New Year and new Administration."

"But you didn't------" Joanne started, but Teddy interrupted.

"Before we go further," he said, "I want to come back to the Mathesons. Did Julie ever tell you about any marital problems between her and her husband? Did you ever hear them arguing?"

"For the most part, no." Alicia said. "They seemed to be a devoted couple in love. There was a period of time, about a year ago now, where Dwayne was getting home later and later, and I'd hear them arguing when he got home. And Julie told me that she was unhappy that Dwayne was spending so much time at work, and wanted him to quit that job. And I think he did, because for the last six or seven months he'd been coming home much earlier, and she was much happier, also."

"Ma'am," said Joanne, "how well do you know their neighbor on the other side, Mrs. Jones?"

"That busybody?" Alicia practically snarled. "I don't talk to her at all. I told Julie I'd seen that harpy at the fence between their properties at night, trying to listen in on them. I even thought about calling the Police to report an (air quotes) 'intruder' so that they might catch her spying, but Julie just laughed it off and said that Mrs. Jones was harmless."

Teddy asked "Did you know their business partner?"

Alicia said "I've met him. He was at their house a lot, and Julie said he was a programmer with Dwayne."

"Was he at their house a lot when Dwayne was not there?" asked Teddy.

"Sometimes." Alicia said. "And he was there a lot when Dwayne was there. I thought he might be living there, because he came out of the apartment above their garage a lot in the mornings."

"Is this him?" Joanne asked, showing a photo of Jeff Cawthorne that was on Teddy's iPhone (she was using hers to record the interview, if you'll remember).

"Yes, that's him." Alicia said.

Teddy asked "Do you know if either of the Mathesons were having affairs, anything that would cause them to have marital problems?"

Alicia said "I don't know, not for sure. And unless that (air quotes) 'business partner' was hooking up with Julie behind her husband's back, I don't think so."

"Just one more question, if I may." said Joanne. "We know that you were not at home yesterday evening, because I knocked on your door. And you didn't come home all night, as our Officers at the Matheson home were watching and saw no activity. So where were you last night?"

"Oh... at the University Hotel." Alicia said. "My husband was out of Town, as I said before, so I just went there and got a room for the night. Less distance to here than going home, probably safer, and they have a free breakfast in the morning..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Before leaving the Hospital, Joanne and Teddy went up to Seth Warner's office. The window behind his desk offered a good view of the front lawn and some of the Town beyond it.

"So, what was all that hullaballoo about?" Seth asked after they were ushered into his office.

Joanne said "Alicia Tate is the next door neighbor of that couple whose bodies were found in their home yesterday, and she wasn't at home yesterday so we came here to interview her. We didn't expect the hostility from her supervisor, though."

Seth said "Donna Childers runs a pretty good Records Department, but she can be nasty at times. We've had a few complaints about her here and there, but nothing really bad... until today. When I told her that she cannot disrespect the Police like she did, my wife being one of the Officers notwithstanding, she said she thought she did the right thing, and that the Police cannot just come in and run roughshod over everyone. Sooooo, I wrote her up and put it in her permanent file."

Joanne said "What I don't understand is... well, let me make this example: we all like 
Dr. Fredricson, but even if we didn't, if she came into Police Headquarters we'd at least be polite to her because she's our boss Commander Troy's wife. But Donna Childers knew that I'm you wife, and she still acted in that hostile manner."

"What one would call a 'strangeness'?" Teddy Parker asked amusedly, meaning to needle Joanne.

"Yes!" Joanne said. "That's exactly what I was thinking it was. I'm going to check further on Donna Childers..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Meanwhile...

9:10am, Tuesday, January 5th. FBI Special Agent In Charge Jack Muscone, FBI Assistant Special Agent In Charge Karina White, FBI Agent Tim Jenkins, and TCPD Deputy Chief Tanya P. Muscone were sitting in the Main Conference Room drinking coffee and chatting when Chief Moynahan and I came into the room.

"Sorry we're late." I said. "We just found a key piece of evidence in our murder case."

"No worries." said Jack Muscone. "I was halfway expecting to be here until 9:30 or later."

"Soooo, Mr. Jenkins." I said. "You gonna be spending some time up here with us?"

"The next several weeks, for sure." said Jack Muscone as Karina White grinned. "I've temporarily assigned him to work from up here."

I grinned. "Hmm, I can't imagine why. It's not like he's about to become a father any day now. And that's really cool to let him be up here, Jack."

"I have two daughters." said Jack. "I wasn't there for my second girl's birth, and it was one of the many things that led to the destruction of my first marriage. I've always regretted not being there, so I have no problem having Tim be up here now." We all nodded.

"Okay, so what can I do for you guys?" I asked. "Or what can you do for me?" The Federal Agents chuckled at that.

Karina White said "First, just some info on Tracy Stone's situation. They were going to suspend her without pay, but hadn't started an OPR on her. So we grieved it and she got a lawyer to push back, saying that they couldn't punish her without even starting the investigation of any alleged crime she committed."

Karina: "We also contacted this State's U.S. Senators, Bill Nunn and Karla McGill, and they came down on the Intelligence Community like a ton of bricks. Senator Nunn is also hammering them over their persecution of the Guardians of Justice M.C., where they've made multiple violations of Constitutional rights in (air quotes) 'investigating' the club members for plotting so-called insurrections. It's a sham and a witch hunt. But I digress. The story on Tracy is that she's still on duty and working hard to get something on Lionel Carmela."

"No OPR? No BAU investigation?" I asked.

"Not that we know of, and not on the surface." said Jack Muscone. "FBI Deputy Director Lance says he believes DNI Brendan Chapel wanted to suspend Stone and then just leave her hanging for months until her inevitable lawsuit finally made it to a Court. Lance, EAD Owen Lange, and I agree that the pressure from the Senators was not expected by Chapel."

"That's... interesting." I mused. "Chapel is not that sloppy. He wouldn't miss considering that. So my guess, without much data to back it up, is that he's trying to play both ends. He knows she's not guilty of anything, but he wants to pay lip service to Carmela and Carmela's fellow Radicals without having to actually do anything. So he probably welcomed the inquiries by the Senators, as they gave him the excuse to back off. And here we are."

"And here we are." said Jack. "In the meantime, I'm assigning Tim here to work on some Federal aspects of this murder-suicide you're investigating."

"What Fed-rullll as-pects?" drawled the Chief.

"The van at the scene, and the SBA flag on their loan, for openers." I replied.

"Not much gets past you." Jack said. "Tim?"

Jenkins: "As I know you know... because your wife called us this morning about it... that van's logo of 'Morrison Plumbing & Electric' is used by the Federal Government as cover and sometimes as a backstop. But here's the rub: we have a good number of cover businesses like that for various things, and we have a clearinghouse for when we use them, so that the FBI doesn't expose or shoot up a DEA truck using that business as cover or something."

"A clearinghouse run by the Inter-Agency Defense Command, the IADC." I said.

"That's the one." Tim said, not batting an eyelash that I knew about it. "It's run by the Defense Department, and was set up to be a backdoor way of getting around laws that prohibit the CIA from operating on domestic soil. And it's worked well for many years; we've avoided many messy situations because of them. And more specifically, the Morrison Plumbing & Electric backstop has been a pretty solid one for over twelve years, and never found out by bad guys or any outsiders... until now."