Murder at the Lake_a small town murder Page 5

  With that I left her and went on to the next house. No one was home so I moved on. There wasn’t much help there and then I saw Lyle wave me over on the other side of the street where he was talking with a man in his bathrobe.

  “What’s up Lyle?”

  “This here is Marco Mendez and he has some info for us. Go ahead Mr. Mendez this is detective Jordan tell her what you told me.”

  “Well, I see this man bring the lady out of the house and push her in the car and that brat who lives there was right behind him.”

  “When was this Mr. Mendez?”

  “It was Sunday morning around seven o’clock. I came out to get the Sunday paper before someone steals it again. This neighborhood is going to pot. We use to have good neighbors. Neighbors use to help one another and watch out for each other. Now we have bad people who sell drugs and party all night.”

  “Who do you see selling drugs around here?”

  “Up on the corner by the market that brat, that boy who came to live with them, he was selling to the kids when they came home from school. The man who runs the market came out and ran him off. That night his window was smashed and he lost the money he had left in the register. It wasn’t much, but the window cost him a lot.”

  “Did he not report this to the police?”

  “No, he was afraid they would come back and kill him or his family.”

  “Thank you Mr. Mendez, I think I’ll go talk with him. Do you know his name?”

  “Carlos Alvarez is his name. He’s a very nice man, always has time to talk.”

  “Again, thank you. Lyle, get his info and meet me at the store.”

  ******

  Mr. Alvarez’s store was neat and clean. A mom and pop place that serviced the neighborhood, a bodega by any other name. Mr. Alvarez was putting canned goods on a shelf when I came into the store.

  “Good afternoon.” He called out in Spanish. “How can I help you?”

  I showed him my ID and badge. “I’m detective Jordan I’m here to ask you about your broken window and the kid who was selling drugs on your corner.”

  “I know nothing of this. You are mistaken.”

  “I can’t make you tell me, but I can tell you there has been a murder up the block, maybe two and this neighborhood needs to pull together. Some of the people on this block are doing just that.”

  “He will come back and kill me. He said so. I have a family, my wife and two daughters, I can’t get involved.” He cried.

  “Let me ask you one question: do you know what kind of drugs he was selling on the corner to kids?”

  “Something in a plastic bag. He was so bold right out in front of my store. I can’t say anymore.”

  “Well, thank you Mr. Alvarez. I may come back and talk with you again.” I dug out one of my card and handed it to him, “Here is my cell and the sheriff’s offices, if you need us for anything at all please call. Don’t let him intimidate you. This is officer Lyle, he and his partner officer Dean are in the neighborhood asking questions. They can help you if you call and need help.”

  ******

  I took what I had and went back to the office and got Loraine looking up Diego’s name and family. Diego Martinez and his nephew Raymond Martinez both had records. I couldn’t get into Raymond’s—him being a juvenile—but Diego’s looked like a road map. Bo came in about that time and grabbed a soda out of the refrigerator popping the top as he came into the conference room.

  “What are you working on right now?” I asked him.

  “Sheriff has got me digging into some Mexican gang stuff going on out on Rabbit Branch Road. You remember that place that Bubba shot up with the blaster a few years ago? Well it seems that this bunch of kids, I call them kids but they’re in their late teens and early twenty’s, have taken over that abandoned house and turned it into their clubhouse. Owner wants them out of there and they threatened him when he went out there. He said they were armed with handguns. The way that house sets it’s hard to sneak up on anyone.”

  “You need to take Bubba out there with the blaster and scare the hell out of them!” Bo laughed and then turned to leave.

  When he said Rabbit Branch Road, I thought of Miss Massie and the fact I hadn’t gone out to see her in a while. She always had her ear to the ground and knew more about what went on in this town than we did.

  I stuck my head into the sheriff’s office and told him I was going out to Miss Massie’s place and then back to the hospital to check on Carl Harris. He waved me on as he was on the phone and not in a very good mood.

  ******

  As I drove down her mile long dust and gravel road to her home in the valley, I could see the trees up on the hillside changing colors from green to golden yellows and bright oranges. She lived in a world of colors and dust. I knew she could see me coming by the cloud of dust I was turning up. Miss Massie had to be close to ninety by now, but still worked her garden all summer long and put up the best strawberry jam in the county. With the dust behind me, I could see out in front as I rounded the last bend in the road and there she sat on her front porch smoking her corncob pipe. She stood up and knocked the ash on the post of the porch then wiped her hands on her apron. She stood there waving her hand with a smile on her face that was from here to Texas. I hopped out of the Jeep and headed for the porch. She had her arms stretched out for a hug and she got a good big one from me. I loved this lady, she was really something else.

  “Miss Massie, how are you doing?”

  “Well child, I’ve seen better days and I’ve seen worse days,” she replied. “Come inside and I’ll put some tea on. I’ve just made some bread and it’s still warm from the oven. Bubba brought me some of that Amish butter last week with that and some strawberry jam, that’ll make a good afternoon snack.”

  I followed her inside and found the smell of fresh baked bread floating throughout the house. “Mmmm, smells so good in here. Better than cookies baking.” I told her.

  She put the kettle on and busied herself around the kitchen getting plates and the jam we all loved plus her bowl of Amish butter placed on the table in the kitchen. I found some napkins in the cupboard and place them next to the jam and butter. The kettle whistled and she poured the water over the tea leaves, letting it soak for a bit. Straining the tealeaves out of the cup, she placed it where I was sitting then did her own.

  “So child, I haven’t seen you in a spell. What brings you out here today?” She asked as she craved the bread into thick slices.

  I buttered and jammed my slice of bread and said, “I just haven’t been here in a long time. Thing are complicated and busy in my life and I’ve neglected my friends and I was feeling guilty. So here I am.”

  “Well glad you made it by, I was lonesome today. Garden is done for another year and I’m jammed and jellied out too! How are your cases going?”

  “I’d like to ask you a question. You have you ear to the ground and know mostly what is going on even though you live in the valley. Have you heard anything on a guy name Diego Martinez?”

  “I did hear a little something around the time the explosion happened at the lake. Something about this pure grade heroin that was so high a grade that you could sniff it. Why anyone would want to is beyond me to start with,” she said.

  “Where do you get you information at anyway?”

  “I keep my ear to the ground.” She said with a laugh and a twinkle in her eyes. “You need to be careful. I also hear there may be a drug war about to happen.”

  “Oh please, don’t go there. That’s the last thing we need right now.”

  We ate our bread and jam and drank our tea in silence after that. I wished her well, got my jar of strawberry jam I always get, and headed for home. Or so I thought.

  ******

  I went back to see Mr. Mendez later that evening. His wife was there and he introduced her to me: her name was Martha. The family called them The M’s or sometimes the M&M’s.

  “Mr. Mendez, when you saw them put the lady, Lisa, in
the car did you see who was driving?”

  “No, the windows were very dark and it was parked at an angle so I never saw the windshield. Even when they left, I could not see inside the car. I am so sorry I cannot be of more help.”

  “Believe me you have been a great help already. I was just dotting my i’s and crossing my t’s. What kind of a car was it, the make or model would help even the color?”

  “I’m not so good with cars but it was one of the larger ones and its color was black. It had those skinny tires. It looked funny on a car, they look much better on a pick-up or SUV. You know the ones that look like bicycle tires?”

  “That’s great Mr. Mendez, that’s really helpful. Thank you again and let me give you one of my cards in case you think of anything else.” I pulled a card from my case handed it to him.

  He looked at the name and asked, “Are you related to judge Jordan?”

  “Yes, he’s my father. Do you know my dad?” I asked him.

  “Oh yes, he was very good to my family quite a few years ago. He helped us to stay in this country and for me and my brother to find work. He is a much respected man.” He said smiling all the while.

  I shook his hand and nodded to his wife Martha and trotted down the sidewalk to the Jeep.

  I looked at my watch and found I only had minutes before Loraine would change shifts with Cindy and I needed Loraine to run a DMV for me on Diego. Things just weren’t adding up with him. I grabbed the radio in the Jeep and called dispatch. “Loraine, if you have time will you run a DMV on Diego and a back ground check, if not let Cindy do it.”

  “Hey Jenny this is Cindy, Loraine has left about five minutes ago. I can run that DMV and back ground check for you with no problem. Do you want me to contact you when I have it or send it to the screen so you’ll have it later?”

  “Go ahead and send it to the screen and I’ll get it from there. Thanks Cindy.”

  It’s time to go home and see what Ming had got into. Lately she’d been doing things she knew she shouldn’t be doing. Like the toilet paper thing. I guess I was spending too much time away from her and it was a way to get my attention.

  It was really too late to go by The Table and get something to eat so I guessed my dinner would be a peanut butter sandwich with some of Miss Massie’s strawberry jam on it, and a cold glass of milk.

  Ming was on her shelf above the couch swishing her tail when I came through the door. “Okay, what have you been in to while I was away?” She didn’t answer.

  By the time I had ate and showered, bed was all that I wanted to see. I brought my laptop into bed and logged in to the screen at the office. I had missed out on the split screen of Carl and Lisa due to seeing my dad, so I went there first. In going over Lisa’s background I could see she had been in and out of the ER on quite a few occasions. No info on what had transpired during those visits, but I could guess. She was physically abused more than once. Nothing else in her record showed anything that would raise a red flag. Carl had a couple a public drunkenness charges five years ago, but nothing since. His job in the Boro was with some high tech computer place that paid well for a job well done. I’m guessing from what I was reading, he did a very good job! Tomorrow I might travel to the Boro and talk with some of the higher ups and see just how well liked he really was. I pulled up on the screen Diego’s back ground. Jesus! His arrests are all over the place and a mile long. And those are just the ones in this country. How the hell did a nice girl like Lisa end up marrying the likes of him? Most of his stuff was drug related. No guessing there. There were some breaking and entering and one-armed robbery that he got out of. Who was his lawyer? I read on to find out. Oh my Lord, Andy Little of all people. I should have guess before I ever looked it up. He handles cases like Diego’s and he gets them off on technicalities and they pay though the nose. This guy lives in a mansion surrounded by high walls with a gate keeper who doubles as his body guard. Note to self, go see Andy Little. The clock in the other room struck twelve o’clock and I put the computer down and turned out the light. Ming found her way up close to my face and purred.

  ******

  Morning brought a cold rain and wind making it that much colder. I dressed in warmer clothes than I had been wearing and pulled on a pair of boots and wool socks. I grabbed a cup of coffee at Star Bucks and headed for the office. Loraine had the heaters roaring and it was pretty toasty in there.

  “Loraine, can you get into Diego’s e-mails and cellphone records?”

  “Not without a warrant, but I bet Randy Hill can get in without them even knowing he was there or had been there.” And she was right. Randy Hill had done a few things for me that weren’t exactly legal and I guessed I was going to call on him again.

  “Thanks Loraine. That’s just who I’ll call. How much is in the petty cash drawer?”

  “Not enough to pay Randy that’s for sure.” She said. And she was right.

  Roy walked in and pulled me to one side. “I think I’ve got something you can use.

  I went back out to the marina and cornered the dock manager, Conley. He had film of the guy who brought the houseboat into the marina. I got a copy of it right here.” He was waving a tape at me. “I do believe this is our man Diego or someone who looks a hell of a lot like him.” He said heading for the conference room.

  Loraine was saying you can’t go in there, but it was too late by then. As we walked through the door we stopped dead in our tracks. The DA, Arron Copple, and his ass kissing prosecutor, Sandy Temple was sitting talking with the sheriff.

  “Come on in, the more the merrier I always say.” Arron said with a cup of coffee and a donut in his hands. Cop food!

  Roy and I slipped around and found a chair and wondered what this was all about.

  “Arron here has been telling me that the FBI and the TBI are not happy that you are still pursuing the drug case that they both have been working on for months. Seems you’re in their hair.” He said with a laugh.

  “Sorry to hear that.” Roy said and poured himself a cup of coffee then held the pot at me, as if I’d drink that stuff.

  My cell rang and I excused myself to take in the lobby. “Detective Jordan.” Then I heard my dad’s voice. “Jenny, your mom is going to have her biopsy today and she would like you to be there. Can you get away?”

  “I’m on my way as we speak. What time is the appointment?”

  “Ten thirty at Doctor Cagle’s office. He does the needle biopsy right in his office.”

  “Give me the address it’ll be faster if I meet you there rather than come home and then try to make it.” He gave me Doctor Cagle’s phone number and address and I was out the door after telling Loraine what was up. Once in the Jeep I put the info in the GPS and I was off.

  Chapter Seven

  Dr. Cagle’s office was in the old part of town. When the new hospital was built, all the Doctors and labs moved close in to it. Dr. Cagle had loyal patients that would come to him no matter where he was setup. He was a lovely man of around sixty or sixty-five and had very little hair and if he stood five foot five I’d have been surprised. Just the same, he was a wonderful surgeon with the best bedside manner. A most loving doctor.

  Mom was there by the time I arrived and was nervous. I had the procedure a few years ago and it was a piece of cake. The Doctor’s nurse, Candy, came for mom and she held my hand tight. Dad and I both came with her to the raised eyebrows of the nurse. “Hey, we’re a family, one for all and all for one. Where she goes, we go.” I told her. She just smiled and showed us a room where the procedure was to take place.

  After all was said and done and the sample was sent off to the labs we went out to lunch at the Sand and Sea restaurant. This was mom’s favorite place to eat and I was hoping she was not too upset to enjoy a good meal. Afterwards I told them I had to get back as we were in the middle of a lot of stuff that was going on.

  ******

  When I got back the only one there was Loraine. “Hey, do you know where Roy has gotten off to?” I
asked her.

  “He’s in with the sheriff. Let me buzz them and see what’s what.” She did that and Roy came out straight away.

  “Let’s go into the conference room and let me play this tape. Where did you run off to?”

  “My mom had a biopsy done and she wanted me there with her. I told Loraine, but maybe she didn’t get around to letting everyone know.”

  Roy put the tape in the VCR side of the DVD player and sure as God made little green apples that was Diego.

  “That’s him, by golly. We’ve got him on that anyway. Wonder where he got the houseboat from. Could it have been a rental? If so, maybe Loraine can track it down as to where and who rented it.”

  “I thought you would get a kick out of this.” Roy said.

  “I need to get with Randy Hill. He’s our IT guy I’ve used before. I don’t think you’ve ever met him. I need him to do some hacking for me. I want the phone calls and emails on Diego’s equipment. We need to know this man backwards and forward.”

  “Are you going to tell Jeff what you’re doing or is this something he might frown on?”

  “You know the sheriff isn’t going to allow hacking. I can’t use it in court, but I can get to know a whole lot more about this guy. Then I might be able to get a warrant for it legally if I can get enough info to run with.” I told him.

  I took a seat at the conference table and rang Randy. He didn’t answer right away and I was afraid it would go to voice mail.

  “It’s your nickel, speak,” came Randy’s voice over the phone.

  “Hey Randy, its Jenny, I need you to do some work for me. I don’t want to discuss it over the phone so can we meet for coffee somewhere?”

  “I’m really in the middle of something here, but for you, how about around five o’clock at the pizza place?”

  “Five o’clock is fine with me, but let’s meet at Table Number Nine and have a good meal.” I told him.